The Philosophy Now Forum

That depends. Do you like totalitarianism? No. A democratic form of the Chinese system would probably be more tolerable. Well, there is no "Chinese system" but totalitarianism, right now. For them to become democratic would entail them not being Communist. So if you're prepared to see the...

Yes, I think you've made a good evaluation of the situtation. Putin did wish to join NATO during the Clinton administration but was turned down flatly. America always needs an enemy to feed its enormous industrial military complex; it's typical of Empire and its desire for world domination, which i...

I recall seeing it said that at one point Putin asked NATO for permission for Russia to join NATO. Russia has never applied for NATO membership. It almost certainly doesn't meet the minimum requirements: We have made clear that, at a minimum, candidates for membership must meet the following five r...

Yes, left alone, they were working it out, but the West had other plans. I recall seeing it said that at one point Putin asked NATO for permission for Russia to join NATO. I wonder how that would have turned out. I saw speculation that, had Russia joined NATO, then the NATO countries feared they mi...

China had to adopt "Red Capitalism" just to survive. Communism was crashing the economy. Sounds like "Red capitalism" might be better than whatever the US is doing. That depends. Do you like totalitarianism? No. A democratic form of the Chinese system would probably be more tole...

Holding God accountable for the wrongs in the world is like holding Pol Pot accountable for genocide while you're rotting in one of Pol Pot's prisons. Pot's laughing and frolicking all the way during your trip to the gallows. That'll teach Pol Pot next time he tries to do evil, right?

You should read what I write, Gary...not invent things and try to put them in my mouth. What I said is that selfishness is not usually treated as illegal. And it's pretty darn common. Selfish people don't inevitably end up in prison, as popeye says. I know you said that. I read it. I was asking abo...

Right. The more one forces people into a collective, the less the individual matters. The more one allows individual choice, the less they will be obedient to the collective. And bear in mind that in Socialism, the interests of the collective never end up being polled from the collective itself; &q...

Let’s bump this old thread. If you thought it had gone quiet for lack of swampy news from Trump’s America, you’re probably a moron (hi Walker, Immanuel Can, et al). No, it’s been quiet because Trump administration’s corruption is no longer news. However, every now and then, the stench from the MAGA...

Of course. But unfortunately for him, he can't have both, since they're mutually cancelling. To the extent that a polity is Socialist, it cannot be democratic. To the extent that it's democratic, it won't be Socialist. He'll have to choose...or pick a third alternative. So is it the case that the m...

No, they usually don't. There's nothing about seeking one's own interests that makes what you do guaranteed to be illegal...it may just be selfish. And selfishness isn't a crime. It's usually not punished at all. But it's still the opposite of the interests of others. So what is in one person's int...

Although I probably shouldn't be aggressively argumentative under any circumstances. I need to work on that more. That's generally why I use my real name on almost every web forum I visit. I figure it keeps me more honest and accountable than not doing so. Typing behind a made-up screen name seems m...

No, not if Ukraine were not a threat to Russian sovereignty. Land is the last thing Russia is short of; ask Napoleon or the Third Reich. OK. So in order to be justified in annexing Ukraine, A Ukrainian alliance with the United States or the European Union would need to be a threat to Russian sovere...

Yes, if it remains a threat to Russia's sovereignty, yes! No Western military on Russia's back porch. OK. If it were the case that Ukraine or its alliance with the United States and the European Union wouldn't be a threat to Russian sovereignty, then would Russia still be justified? No, not if Ukra...

That is why, presently, in the States, they are changing the laws so that a politician in government cannot hold dual citizenship. So, yes, they can conflict. Muslims establishing places in government is the formation of a fifth column in the midst of the America they hate. Is a person who is both ...